India launch Caribbean tour with T20 win

Andre Fletcher reacts after he was clean bowled by Munaf Patel.—AP

PORT OF SPAIN: India began their tour of the Caribbean with a 16-run victory over West Indies in their Twenty20 match at the Queen’s Park Oval on Saturday.
India made 159 from their 20 overs with Subramaniam Badrinath striking 43 off 47 balls and useful contributions at the end from Yusuf Pathan and Harbhajan Singh, both making brisk scores of 15, helped set a target run-rate of eight runs per over.
West Indies made a poor start with Andre Fletcher and Lendl Simmons going cheaply and although Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels put on a 66-run partnership, they did so from 11.1 overs and failed to keep up the momentum.
Both went in the same Harbhajan Singh over which effectively ended the challenge and when skipper Darren Sammy went for a duck, it was all but over for the home side.
There was an encouraging and entertaining innings late on from Christopher Barnwell —the 24-year-old from Guyana blasting three sixes as he made 34 from 16 balls —but it was too little too late for West Indies.
The first of five one-day internationals will be held on Monday at Queen’s Park Oval and the tour also includes three test matches.